ONE NIGHT STAND WITH HOT DUKE-Chapter 224: The peace that has been taken away

The door slammed shut with a loud bang that echoed throughout the room.

The old wood creaked, as if it, too, felt the force of the sudden impact.

Behind it, Valerie leaned back, her body pressed tightly against the doo —as if it were the only thing left that could keep the outside world from breaking in.

Her breathing was uneven.

Her chest rose and fell too quickly far too quickly.

The air felt thin, cold, and suffocating all at once.

Beside her, Lena stood with a tense expression. Her hand still gripped Valerie’s arm, as if letting go would cause her to collapse right then and there.

And then—

BANG!

The first knock came.

Loud.

Sudden.

Making the entire room seem to tremble.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

This time, rapid.

Impatient.

Relentless.

As if the person outside did not understand the meaning of waiting.

Inside the room, Ethan who had been holding Deon flinched.

His body reacted instantly, rising to his feet.

His gaze shifted from the door to the two women before him.

And he immediately knew.

Something was very wrong.

"What happened?" he asked quickly.

But Valerie gave no answer.

Her lips parted slightly, yet no sound came out.

Her breath was still caught.

Her body still trembling.

As if the words could not pass through her throat.

It was Lena who answered.

Her voice lower than usual.

Heavier.

"The Duke... is here."

Ethan froze.

The words hung in the air, as if they needed time to be fully understood.

"...What?" he repeated softly, in disbelief.

The knocking came again.

BANG!

Louder than before.

As if the door would shatter if it wasn’t opened.

Ethan looked at the door.

Then back at Lena.

"Where?" he asked, more tense now.

Lena didn’t answer with words.

She only shifted her gaze toward the door.

And that was enough.

"Outside."

Silence.

But not a peaceful one.

A suffocating silence.

The kind that made the heart pound louder than usual.

Valerie finally moved.

Slowly.

Like someone waking from a nightmare only to realize it wasn’t over yet.

She stepped toward Ethan.

Her eyes fell on the baby in his arms.

Without saying a word she took Deon into her embrace.

Her movements were careful.

Yet filled with hidden panic.

The moment the baby was against her chest her arms tightened around him.

As if she were protecting something that could not be taken away from her.

And at that very moment her tears fell.

At first, softly.

Almost unnoticed.

But then they couldn’t be stopped.

"I..." her voice broke, cut off by her uneven breathing, "I thought... everything was over..."

The words felt fragile.

Like something that had finally shattered after being held together for too long.

She lowered her head, pressing her cheek against Deon’s hair.

Her hands trembled.

"I thought... I was free..."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The pounding returned.

Louder.

More forceful.

As if the person outside had run out of patience.

And this time a voice followed.

"Valerie."

That voice was deep.

Heavy.

It didn’t need to shout to be heard.

And because of that it felt even closer.

More real.

Demian.

Inside, Valerie froze instantly.

Her sobs halted.

Her breath caught.

Her eyes widened.

"Come out."

One word.

Short.

But leaving no room to refuse.

Valerie shook her head slowly.

Her tears fell again.

"No..." she whispered.

Almost like a plea.

Not to anyone but to herself.

"I don’t want to..."

Lena stared at the door, her jaw tightening.

She could feel the pressure from outside.

Not just from the pounding but from the man himself.

"He’s not going to leave," she murmured quietly.

Ethan clenched his fists. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

His gaze moved between the door and Valerie.

"Then... we have to—"

He didn’t finish.

Because even he didn’t know what they could possibly do.

Outside,

Demian stood still in front of the door.

His hand was no longer pounding against it.

But that didn’t mean he had given up.

He was holding himself back.

His breathing was heavy.

His eyes fixed straight ahead as if they could pierce through the wood separating them.

He knew.

He knew Valerie was inside.

He could feel it.

"Valerie."

This time, his voice was lower.

Deeper.

And because of that more dangerous.

"I know you’re in there."

There was no answer.

Only silence.

But that silence did not make him retreat.

Instead he stepped closer.

His hand lifted.

Stopping just in front of the door.

For a moment.

A very brief moment.

As if giving one last chance.

But when there was no response his gaze changed.

Colder.

More certain.

And inside Valerie held Deon tighter.

Her body trembling.

Because she knew that door would not be able to hold Demian forever.

Quick footsteps approached from behind, followed by a voice he knew well. Vedseel finally arrived, slightly out of breath but still sharp-eyed as he looked at Demian.

"You shouldn’t be doing this," he said bluntly, his tone edged with restrained frustration. "This is not how you bring someone back."

Demian didn’t respond right away. His jaw tightened, his gaze fixed ahead as if he could see through the door.

"She’s right in front of me," he said at last, his voice low and controlled, "and you expect me to just stand still? To let her slip away again like before?"

There was something in his voice that wasn’t just anger but desperation, barely held in check.

Vedseel shook his head slowly, exhaling before answering, "What you’re doing now isn’t holding on it’s forcing. And you know exactly she’s not someone you can force without consequences."

His gaze hardened as he looked at Demian’s back.

"If you keep going like this, you won’t just lose her again you’ll push her further away for good."

But the words didn’t seem to truly reach him.

Demian stepped closer to the door, his hand rising again this time without hesitation.

He knocked hard.

Not asking anymore demanding.

"Valerie, open the door."

Inside, Valerie held Deon tightly, as if the child were the only anchor keeping her from sinking into fear. Her body still trembled, her breathing uneven, and Demian’s voice so close made everything feel like it was collapsing again.

Lena stood beside her, alert.

Ethan could only stare at the door, tense, realizing this situation had already slipped far beyond his control.

The pounding came again harder this time.

The hinges creaked faintly.

The wood wouldn’t last long if Demian truly decided to force his way in.

"Valerie, enough," his voice came again, deeper now, more pressing. "I won’t leave until you come out."

Valerie closed her eyes for a moment, trying to steady the tremor running through her body. She knew he wasn’t bluffing. If she stayed silent any longer, the door would break.

And before that could happen she spoke.

"If you come in... I will die."